Modern ag-tech generates vast amounts of herd data, but much of its potential remains untapped. To change this, Teagasc partnered with MSD Animal Health Ireland and the ICBF to analyse 8,859 lactation records. Together, they unlocked powerful insights to classify cows into precision fertility subgroups. How does this help farmers? Come and found out.
Challenge: Unlocking data potential
In a seasonal calving system, achieving high submission and conception rates are essential for maintaining a compact calving interval, which is critical for the economic viability and sustainability of dairy farms. While technologies such as behaviours monitors, genotyping and milk recording are increasingly used to help enhance dairy cow management, much of the valuable data they generate remains underutilised. Therefore, the vast amount of data generated by these technologies presents a significant opportunity, but it is essential that farmers and the industry leverage these sources of data effectively for informed decision-making.
Solution: Delivering data – Driven Reproductive Management
Teagasc researchers Dr. Emily Sitko and Dr. Stephen Butler partnered with MSD Animal Health Ireland and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation to harness data for smarter reproductive management in seasonal pasture-based systems. With support from the Engage@Teagasc office, they leveraged a dataset of 8,859 lactation records with cow-level data (i.e., behavioural, performance, develop methods to classify cows into fertility-based subgroups and design tailored management strategies to optimise each subgroup’s performance and, in turn, the entire herd.
Impact: Enhanced Reproductive Performance and Sustainability.
This research demonstrated how cow-level data can be used to enhance reproductive management on Irish dairy farms. By identifying key fertility indicators and effective subgrouping strategies, the project enabled more data-driven, individualised approaches to herd management. Researchers are now hoping to translate these insights into a decision-support dashboard to support on-farm adoption.
The collaboration is helping to deliver tangible benefits for the Irish dairy industry. Data-driven reproductive management supports the strategic use of sexed semen to generate high-genetic-merit replacements, while directing beef semen to lower-fertility cows to enhance calf crop value and welfare, supporting dairy-beef integration. In parallel, targeted interventions and optimised semen allocation help achieve shorter calving intervals, better pasture utilisation, and more sustainable milk production.
Teagasc’s expertise was instrumental in unlocking the value of this rich dataset, empowering farmers with actionable insights that support climate-smart, innovative dairy systems. The collaboration also set a new benchmark for high-impact industry-responsibly to drive innovation in ag-tech.
Research findings have been shared in tResearch, at the Moorepark Open Day and the American Dairy Science Association Annual Conference . Research findings are also available in the following peer-reviewed publications:
- Predictors of reproductive outcomes in seasonal-calving, pasture-based lactating dairy cows. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2025-27537
- Postpartum automated estrus alert phenotypes in seasonal-calving pasture-based dairy cows. https://doi.org/10.3168/jdsc.2025-0921
Funding
This research was funded by the Dairy Research Ireland Dairy Levy Trust. The research team acknowledges the contribution of participating farmers and the support of MSD Animal Health Ireland and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation.
MSD Animal Health Ireland was pleased to support this research through the secure sharing of behaviour data collected from our wearable monitoring technology. Collaborating with Teagasc provided valuable insights into how leveraging data from technologies offers farmers a unique opportunity to enhance the productivity, sustainability, and welfare.
– Jack O’Connor Ruminant Business Unit Director at MSD Animal Health Ireland